L'ApogeeSheepskin Bareback SaddleTrail Saddles

Purchase: I bought this bareback saddle from www.lasaddles.com for $495. I was tired of looking for the right regular saddle to fit me and my horse and for the time being, thought I'd try this type, since it was different and supposedly fit any horse being it was a bareback saddle (no tree).

Likes: It looked nice in the advertisement picture...I was able to get my money back and received excellent customer service. There was a seven day trial on it.

Dislikes: This bareback "saddle" was a BIG disappointment. It was a glorified saddle pad and was not what was advertised, unfortunately :( It was floppy...the sheepskin was of inferior quality (even so they say it is made/comes from Austria)..the sheepskin came out in tufts on it's own when I took it out of the box it came in! This saddle has NO support even so they say it has a "cantle"...it's nothing but a piece of foam that flops back! It SLIPS around, I kid you not! Even with the shortest dressage girth you can find! I almost fell off my horse getting on and I am very careful and quick with no problem when I mount my horse...even bareback with NO pad. Mattes pads are WAY BETTER quality than this! If you could put billets and stirrup bars on a Mattes pad, you'd be better off! The sheepskin wasn't near as quality as a Mattes pad and it was like a fuzzy cheapy made in China type...even so it was made in Austria. The sheepskin didn't provide enough cushion for the horse or the rider. It wasn't as thick and plush as a Mattes pad :/

Quality: It has two inferior quality sheepskin pieces...one on top for the rider and one on the bottom for the horse. The flaps that go under the legs are nothing more but flimsy cotton flaps and the billets are tied on the flaps with nylon and billets themselves look like good quality leather. There are rings under each flap of sheepskin attached to the cotton sides with nylon that are supposed to be stirrup holders...they don't sit well and put you in a weird position...you have to use regular old school stirrup leathers and there is NO holder for the excess leather strap...so it just hangs and gets in the way. It is also VERY HARD to get your stirrups adjusted properly because even on the highest hole they're still too long and don't work out. There are plastic rings on billets that are for side reins if you lunge and two on the front for breastcollar. Also one on back of cheap foam "cantle" for a cruper. You cannot remove the sheepskin from the seat to wash like it said. The sheepskin looks like it came from/made in China...tufts come out and I don't even think you'd have anything left after you washed it for the first time.

Summary: I would steer clear from this "bareback saddle" waste of money for sure! Received excellent customer service and got my refund from the saddlery. Not worth trying...I've done it for you LOL